Private insurers cover majority of costly conditions for children

The largest percentage of expenditures for the five most costly conditions for children was paid by private insurance. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has identified mental disorders as the most costly.

Total expenditures to treat mental disorders were $8.9 billion, and overall, a total of $98.8 billion was spent for the care and treatment of children. Rounding out the top 5 list of most costly medical conditions in children were asthma ($8 billion), trauma-related disorders ($6.1 billion), acute bronchitis ($3.1 billion), and acute infectious diseases ($2.9 billion) in 2006, when the latest data were available.

Who pays for the top five most expensive children’s conditions?

Source: Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research. The Five Most Costly Children’s Conditions, 2006: Estimates for the U.S. Civilian, Noninstitutionalized Children, Ages 0 to 17